Pages

11.07.2011

Hanukkah and the Meaning of the Menorah

Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, is best known
as the winter holiday when Jewish people light the menorah and exchange
gifts. Hanukkah, also known as "Chanukah" or
"Hanukah", commemorates the victory of the Jews over their Greek
rulers in the mid-second century B.C.E.

Many, however, prefer to shift the holiday's focus away from a
military-victory celebration, in favor of the commemoration of the
"Miracle of Lights." According to the ancient story, when the
Jews re-dedicated the Holy Temple, there was very little oil remaining to light
the Temple menorah (or candelabra), as the bulk of the lamp oil had been
polluted. But the oil that was only enough for one day miraculously
lasted eight days. This is considered to be the origin of the eight-day
celebration of Hanukkah.

The seven-branched menorah's presence in the Holy Temple had been commanded
in the Torah (the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament), where its construction from a
single piece of gold is described in great detail. It would seem that the
nine-branched Hanukkah menorah, also called a “chanukiah,” is a tribute to the
seven-branched menorah that was used in the Temple long ago.

In modern times, during this celebration Jewish people across the globe
light one menorah candle on the first night of Hanukkah and add a candle each
successive night. In the world of contemporary Judaica,
"menorot" (plural of menorah) are crafted from a wide range of
materials, and represent a wealth of varying ideas about the meaning of the
holiday. Steve Resnick's design company produces exquisite etched glass
menorahs.